Otherness and Identity in the Gospel of John

Sung Uk Lim is Assistant Professor of New Testament at the College of Theology and United Graduate School of Theology, Yonsei University, South Korea.

“Sung Uk Lim’s Otherness and Identity in the Gospel of John challenges the popular reading of the Gospel’s dualistic framework. This monograph comes as a revision of the author’s dissertation at Vanderbilt University, under the supervision of Fernando Segovia. … Lim provides a new look at the Gospel’s dualism and helps readers recognize that not everything or everyone within the Gospel fits neatly into these binary oppositions. …” (Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol. 37 (2), May, 2024)“Lim’s revised Vanderbilt dissertation reads the Fourth Gospel through the lens of postcolonial criticism. ... For those not invested in literary deconstruction and postcolonial criticism, Lim’s work may be challenging. But beyond the methodological questions and assumptions, there are important insights for all readers of the Gospel ... .” (Kent E. Brower, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 45 (5), 2023)“This book will appeal to and benefit readers interested in studies of character and characterization and postcolonial biblical readings of John’s Gospel. … L. is to becommended for this study, which aims to reclaim the suppressed voices of marginalized people in terms of gender, ethnicity, and religion. … Readers will appreciate L.’s articulation of and advocacy for an interpretative approach that can lead to respect, tolerance, and inclusion of difference in our increasingly globalized yet fragmented world.” (Vien V. Nguyen, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 84 (4), October, 2022)

• Chapter 1: Otherness of Minor Characters vs. Identity of Jesus.- Chapter 2:  Nicodemus and Jesus: Reading the Otherness In-Between.- Chapter 3: The Samaritan Woman and Jesus: Reading the Otherness Within.- Chapter 4:  Pontius Pilate, the Jews, and Jesus: Reading the Otherness Without.- Chapter 5: The Mother Of Jesus, the Beloved Disciple, and Jesus: Reading the Otherness Beyond.- Chapter 6: Otherness, Identity, and Solidarity